Whole wheat pizza with goat cheese and caramelized onions

Hi guys! Hope you’re having a wonderful day <3 Thanks so much for listening to me vent about our moving woes. To make it even better, the Pilot had to work all day today, so I’ve been a moving machine!!

Since I’m in the depths of packing frenzy right now, so thought I’d invite my friend Mara, my favorite pizza buddy, over for a guest post 🙂 Just wish I could eat this pizza tonight when we’re finished… 😉

Hey there Fitnessista readers! I’m Mara, and I write a little (no, really, its little) blog called What’s For Dinner? where I chronicle my daily (ok, near-daily) adventures in the
kitchen cooking fun and interesting things for dinner. Oh, and cupcakes. I love cupcakes…

I haven’t come to you to talk about cupcakes though. This is something much nearer and dearer to our
good friend Gina’s heart… come to think of it, it’s many things close to her heart:

Pizza

Goat cheese

mushrooms

garlic

See, Gina and I had the pleasure of going out for pizza when she was here in Chicago for the Healthy Living Summit in August,
and since then, I’ve associated all things whole wheat pizza with her. We had such fun, and I haven’t had
pizza that good since she was here in town.

I set out to create a healthy and delicious Gina-fied pizza for you all, and I believe I have succeeded! I
bring you the Fitnessizza! (Wow, holy goatcheesiness there…)

First, you must make your dough. Those of you that are freaked out by making your own pizza dough,
never fear: this is EASY.

Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Allow this to sit about 5
minutes, and then add the honey. Slowly stir in the flours, salt, and oil, and knead about 5 minutes, or until
the dough comes together and is smooth and springy. It might be a bit sticky. This is ok! Lightly oil a clean
mixing bowl and place the dough in it, rotating and flipping it to coat all sides lightly with oil. It will look like
this:

Next, start getting your toppings together. I took about a half hour and
caramelized some onions, sauteed some mushrooms, and steeped some garlic in olive oil while the dough
rose.

The husband likes a bit more of a traditional pizza, though I have converted him to
the love of goat cheese, so he opted for a tomato-sauce based pizza.

Once the dough has risen about a half hour to 45 minutes, it should look like
this:

Punch it down to remove extra air, and divide it in half.

Since we’re two poor teachers, and our oven broke about a month and a half ago,
we had to get creative with cooking methods. Our last attempt with grilling pizzas was an epic fail, so I went
back to something I did in college: skillet pizza.

I heated my huge cast iron skillet until it was as hot as it would get. Then, the
dough was pressed into an even circle with the help of a pastry brush dipped in garlic olive oil, and then,
once it was bubbled up a bit, the dough circle was flipped over. Then, I lowered the heat, brushed a bit of
garlic olive oil on top, spread out my toppings and covered it for a few minutes (literally 3 or 4).

The result?

It. Was. AWESOME. I was sad when it was gone. I highly recommend the
caramelized onion/mushroom/goat cheese/garlic combination on pizza, or a sandwich, or in a wrap…

The husband’s was great too:

So there you have it: the Skillet Fitnessizza! Thanks for letting me visit,
Gina!!

OMG! I just wrote a blog post about my epic FAIL with making my own pizza. A long time ago (so long ago it feels like a different life) I lived and Chicago and ate pizza far more than anyone ever should. Since moving to the East Coast, and finding a healthier way to eat I’ve been dying for an easy and healtier option to the pizza delivery man. This may be it! I am so excited…am making the Fitnessizza tonight!

Making a successful grilled pizza isn’t much different than what you did in the skillet. Heat the grill up to med high. Roll/stretch out the dough, and brush one side with olive oil. Put the olive oil side down on the grill and LEAVE IT. It may look uneven, and it does take practice to get it even, but uneven pizza is still delicious. Let it sit for ~2 to 3 mins. Peel up a corner, and if you see grill marks, you’re in business. Brush the ungrilled side with olive oil and flip. Scatter toppings onto the top (the grilled side). Close the grill and wait 2 minutes. Slide onto a cutting board and enjoy!

Hi Mara – my sister’s name is Mara and you don’t come across that often. I don’t know about you but hers is pronounced like “Mark” with an “a” in place of the “k”…my dad’s name is Mark. Lots of people say it like “Sarah.” I love your skillet idea! Mara (my sis) and I made a version of this on the grill at her house with the same onions, goat cheese & mushrooms. We added one thing that will either ruin it or take it up even another notch for you: pesto made with fresh basil from the garden! So GOOD! I however don’t have a grill so I am trying a skillet. Oh, I wasn’t brave enough to make the dough (bought wheat dough at Trader Joe’s) but now I will try it!

My husband and I make skillet pizzas all the time. Thanks for the easy dough recipe (and pics)! We are usually pressed for time on pizza night, so we “cheat” and use a whole wheat pita from Trader Joe’s as the crust. It crisps up perfectly! The key is to put a little oil on the bottom of the pan, then put the pita in right away and start building. The crust crisps up without you having to wait on it. We pop it under the broiler to melt the cheese to perfection. My favorite topping combo is Sunny Daze: sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and artichoke hearts.

Hi, gorgeous! I'm so glad you're here. Welcome to The Fitnessista, a healthy lifestyle blog emphasizing quick workouts, quick recipes and adventures as a wife and mom. Though I am a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor and weight loss specialist, the information posted here is not intended to substitute the advice of a medical professional. Please check out the about page for more info. Thank you for reading! ❤️